The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-07-24
Including a Narrative About Bottle of Good
Brandy and an Exciting Dancing Contest
in Which the Prizes We're Kisses.
Clara and En- Accidentally Acquire
Some Facts About the Latter's Pa,
Which They Use in Manner that Depletes
the Old Mans PocketBook and Adds
Greatly to the Joy of the Plotters.

NEW YORK, July 23.-In spirit of adventure.
as we'll as to escape theheat of the town for day.
but under safe chaperonage. took passage upon
group of barges attached large steamer
bound up the river to picnic ground. 1t was
typical popular excursion. People from the
East Side and all along the water front, who
could afford to take a days outing. were there
with their wives and children They had two
snail bands along, besides Scotchman in native
undress and bag pipe. No sooner had the boat
and barges cast off into the stream than dancing
began in every available place where the sound
OF music could reach. At moment during
tie rest of the day was there a cessation in this
form of amusement for soon as the excur-
ssonists got ashore good percentage of them
went to pavilion the dock and kept it up
there until time for re-em barkation As we lay
at the pier previous to getting under way L sat
on the upper deck of one of the barges. on a long
bench that continued around the craft next to
the rail. A man about thirty years old, with
face that betoken rough determination to
Joy himself, approached leading two little girls
by the hands. He lifted them up 20 the bench
beside and putting a stern expression,
he said to them:
Now, yez set there, dye minda Set right
there and don't stir from that place, dye hearl
Set still and don't stir away"
"Ah, come now.' exclaimed fat woman sit
ting near; "Mr. Callahan. ply don't yez let them
loose? Sure, don't they want to enjoy themselves
the same as yez dol Ply don't yez let them run
aboutl"
Lave them set still, Mrs. O'Brien," responded
the roughly; "they enjoy themselves
quite enough for them where they are, and il
they to about how would 1 find them
when want them anyway2 Set still, now, dye
mind2'
The little ones were smiling, and paid appar-
emily no attention to the commands The man
stopped over to adjust lunch basket, and as he
did a suspicious stream poured from the inside
pocket of his coat over the basket. and upon the
deck. He looked at it stupidly for an instant,
and then carefully thrust his hand into his
pocket and slowly withdrew pint flask, from
which the cork had been lost. Everybody who
saw it smiled. He looked at it ruefully. II was
about half full.
- '.IEere.r he said presenting the flask to me,
"will yez have it, It's good brandy, so it is;;"
and when declined, he added "Sure 1 don't
want it any more. Yez might as well have it as
to throw it away"
Finding he could not make gift of it he con-
cluded to keep it, and put it back in his pocket
not even trying to stop further leakage with
piece of wadded paper. He started to 60 away,
but paused just in time to the elder of his
children dart after man with big bouton-
Mere to beg ''posey" of him.
Here. here! come back wild yez," exclaimed
the father angry. He seized her not roughly
but emphatically by the shoulder and pushed
her back to her place on the bench, with further
stern admonitons to keep still and mind what
he said. The children were not in the least
disturbed by his dreful language, and though
they sat quietly while he in sight they did
not look troubled or frighteb sd. The minute
he turned his back one of the children tugged at
my sleeve, and when looked down to see what
was wanted she said:
Say, will we stop on any grass up there's"
X.
The most interesting feature OF the dancing
this excursion was the jgs. All the other
dancing unique enough to one accustomed
to the graceful and elegant movements of people
whose nearest approach to popular excursion is
yachting cruise; the figures in this case were
strange and crude. and the motions of all but
one or two positively awkward and grotesque,
though the relations of the sexes. to my mind,
were as decorous as in the most fashionable
gatherings at the Brunswick; but the jigs were
more interesting because they gave so good a
chance for demonstrating the pecularities of the
individuals. There one young man with a
sandy mustache who was ready at all moments
in the day to start in on a jig in competition
with man. woman. or child and the result was,
in part that the Scotchman blew steadily, and
the droning of the bag pipe never ceased. So
great was the interest taken by the party in the
]igs that the bag pipe was always surrounded by
big crowd, and it often happened that four
couples at dancing A typical man in
such crowd is who fairly roars with the
freedom of the day. He slaps his frie nds on the
back, drinks deeply and heartily of foamy bee r.
gives every girl of his acquaintance vigorous
hug in passing, and before the day is over ex-
periments with every form of amusement of
fered by the occasion. He may wind up his di-
version, if he gets bit excited, oy fight, he
may get very drunk, bat never for a moment
does the care of business suggest itself; he never
forgets his freedom, and i: part of his
enjoyment to proclaim forcibly his lack of re-
straint. When crowd is composed mainly of
such men and women, for there are plenty of
women of the same type, white-eowned servant
girls, mothers of families. red-faced grandmoth-
ers and Bowery shop-eirs, the chances are
about that all will have glorious time in
their own way. that they will all regret it the
next morning with aching if not bruised heads
and infamed stomachs. Such a man. roaming
about the barges, came to the bagpipe place,
thrust his way into the arena and offered loudly
to dance down any CIR lin the crowd for kiss
the gage not hold if he did not succeed.
There was q of bantering and
bravado on all sides. One plump girl whose
face glowed and eyes elistened with the fun of
the day. encouraged to enter the lists
Give it to him, Nell" sail in" "Yez can
stand it il he can" and the like were the argu-
ments uttered to induce her to try the dance
After giggling delay of minute she gave her
parasol friend and faced the bury young
man smiling. She placed her AKIN bo and
not looking directly at her antagonist, tripped
about and shuffied on the floor as il wound up
for twelve hours. In two min utes both dancers
were in flowing perspiration The crowd ap
but in reality all were more anxious for the fun
that would ensue paying the forfeit than
they her out victorious
and presently the applause changed in favor